HOME STUDY COURSE IN BASIC BUDDHISM

Contents

Lesson 1: What is Buddhism?

Buddhism as a way of life. Buddhism's relevance to the present day. Buddhism and God. Knowing and believing. What Buddhism does not offer. The teachings of Buddhism. A practical exercise for the students to carry out.

Lesson 2: The beginnings of Buddhism

The life of Siddhartha. The Four Noble Truths. Rational and non-rational tendencies. The language of Buddhism. The main forms of Buddhism. Mahayana and Hinayana. The spread of Buddhism in the East: China, Japan, Tibet, Ceylon, Burma and Thailand. Literature. Western Buddhism. A practical exercise.

Lesson 3: The Four Noble Truths

The Four Noble Truths discussed in detail. Suffering explained. Its cause and effects. A practical exercise.

Lesson 4: The Noble Eightfold Path

The Four Noble Truths explained in parts. Wisdom, morality, mental development. A practical exercise.

Lesson 5: The Three Marks of all Phenomena

Anicca, Dukkha, Anatta: impermanence, suffering, no-self. Self-analysis and the Five Aggregates. Anatman and rebirth. Relative and Absolute Truth. A practical exercise.

Lesson 6: Karma and Rebirth

Karma and karma vipaka. Skillful and unskillful, good and bad acts independent of Gods. What is reborn. The chain of dependent origination. A practical exercise.

Lesson 7: The Buddhist Teaching of Mental Development

Ignorance and actions. The aggregates and meditation. The 5 nivarana. Requirements of meditation. Factors which arise in meditation. The 5 Spiritual Faculties explained. A practical exercise.

Lesson 8: The Principles of Mental Development

Independent study and application. The 8 wordly desires. The order of development. Results and dangers of practice. Environments and times for practice. Basic points to bear in mind. Faith, humility and self-minding. Mindfulness. Absorption of mind. Basic considerations.

Lesson 9: Distinctive Mahayana Teachings

Survey of schools. The status of the Buddha. The Bodhisattva ideal. Debating Sunyata and the Void. Non-dual Samsara and Nirvana. The schools of Buddhism (Theravada and Mahayana). Practical work.

Lesson 10: Buddhism in Daily Life

Self assessment and review. How to arrive at a practicable strategy of transformation. Theory and practical aspects. The Buddha's tips for replacing old patterns.